The AUS season kicked off with a thriller as the Dalhousie Tigers defeated the UPEI Panthers 54-47. The Tigers held a lead as big as 21 but the Panthers made a late-game charge that fell just short.

The Tigers opened the game on an 8-2 run, but the Panthers came right back at them as they pressured the Tigers into five turnovers in just the first five minutes of play. Tessa Stammberger was held to the bench early as she picked up two fouls early in the second quarter. The Panthers forced the Tigers into committing nine turnovers in the first quarter, but they trailed the Tigers 15-11 after ten minutes of play.

Courtney Thompson had ten points in the first half for the Tigers, going 3-3 from the field. The Tigers opened their lead up to double digits but Laura Power's jumper with 39 seconds left cut the Panthers deficit to just eight as they entered halftime down 27-19.

The Tigers and Panthers split their season series last year as they played to (10-10) and (9-11) records, respectively.

The third quarter was all Tigers as their lead grew to as large as 21 as they limited the Panthers to just seven points.

The Panthers could have chosen to just pack it in in the fourth quarter, but they battled hard and their full court press immobilized the Tigers. They completely turned the tables and limited the Tigers to just eight points while adding 21 of their own. In the end, their comeback attempt fell just short as they fell 54-47.

Courtney Thompson led all scorers with 16 points, and she added five assists and five boards. Tamara Tompkins led the Panthers with nine points.

The two teams will do battle again tomorrow at 6:00pm at the Dalplex.